Knockdown steel shelving and cabinet hardware therefor



April 15, 1969 I. J. FERDINAND ETAI.. 3,438,688

NKNOCKDOWN STEEL SHELVING AND` CABINET HARDWARE THEREFOR Filed sept. 18,1967 I sheet of 2 FIG. IV

FIG.2

[74 /l2 u ,f I m 24V I II, i I l() /If--SB NI! @II ,.24 I-`O Wm* i fr soj, III( l I2 -f/ Ios Ilt I u,I 24

I l I I 4 f II I 4 rHUI L w 1 I FIGS III. 44 J3 46 762g 'o e? 77 zo so82 es 34 if 86 I 84 11 78 I 88! Io? mi 84 'MII 826" /f 83 1I 1 g' 76INVENTOR. Il I 3? 88 '06 I'I'I'FK'I'I? I! Y f |07 |06 |04 I Z ATTYSApril 15, 1969 |.J.FERD1NAND ETAL 3,438,688

KNOCKDOWN STEEL SHELVING AND CABINET HARDWARE THEREFOR Filed sept. 18,1957 f sheet Z of 2 FIG. 3 54- IN VENTOR IRWIN J. FERDINAND lRwm R.KuLBERsH /DZM l ATTYS United States Patent O 3,438,688 KNOCKDOWN STEELSHELVING AND CABINET HARDWARE THEREFOR Irwin J. Ferdinand, Glencoe, andIrwin R. Kulbersh, Niles, Ill., assignors to S. A. Hirsh ManufacturingCo., Skokie, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Sept. 18, 1967, Ser.No. 668,435 Int. Cl. A47b 88/00; E06b; A47f 3/00 U.S. Cl. 312-295 8Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A sliding door frame assembly issecured adjustably in place at any level upon knockdovvn steel shelvinghaving a plurality of vertically spaced shelves supported at theircorners on posts. KEach shelf has front and rear flanges extending aboveand below the shelf surface interengaging the posts. Removableroll-formed channels of strip steel adjustably secure the door frameagainst the shelf flanges between the posts and provide spaced facingtrack channels which receive overlapping doors in weight supportedrelationship with minimized sliding friction, and restrain the doorsfrom visible scuing against the door frame and shelves.

Cross reference is made to the Ferdinand Patent 3,265,455, Ian. 28,1965, upon which the present invention is an improvement, and toFerdinand et al. applications, Ser. No. 658,695' filed Aug. 7, 1967, andof even date herewith, reference to which is hereby made.

Heretofore in converting knockdown steel shelving to cabinet form, inwhole or in part, or at different levels for modular effect, theshelving has to be partially dismantled or loosened and thenretightened, requiring an emptying of the shelves involved and generallythe removal and return of the shelving as a unit from its site foradjustment access. Furthermore, structural strains directly bornebetween the shelving and the finished door frame either require a heavydoor frame or a careful assembly procedure which might not be followedby the purchaser, either in the original assembly, or in a reassembly toadd the cabinet hardware to shelves already assembled.

In the present invention in minimizing assembly time, sliding friction,and any possible visible marking or scuffing on the front faces of thedoors at the sliding edges along the top and bottom, neither one of thesupporting shelves need be loosened to receive the door frame in a rpermanent but adjustable installation to provide a sliding door cabinet,or, in dismantling same to provide a shelf unit.

The invention is characterized by a generally U-section channel frameopening inwardly with the edge of the front wall flanged or hemmed fordepth and strength and the rear wall resting iiat against the frontfaces of the shelf anges between the front corner posts.

The invention contemplates sheet metal guide elements disposed in thefra-me channels at the top and bottom, hooking over the facing flangeedges of the two spaced shelves selected, in frame supporting relationto receive in Weight supporting relation sliding doors having spacedplastic devices on their bottom edges disposed in point or limited areacontact with the bottoms and sides of the side channel tracks in theguide elements.

An object of the invention is to convert a light metal shelving unit toa cabinet-type structure with no modification thereof, loosening ofelements, or changing of components` whatsoever. The cabinet hardware ofthe present invention can be applied to and removed from steel shelvingto provide sliding door panels at the front of a Patented Apr. 15, 1969ICC variety of units, or at vertically spaced portions of shelving unitsfor modular effect.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved snap stripwhich can be easily applied and removed without any damage to it or theengaged cornponents, yet when in place provides a permanent assembly.

Further objects include the provision of cabinet converslon unitswherein the principal constituent parts are susceptible to conventionalrolling processes and require for their completion no machiningoperations so that the shelving and cabinet hardware as a whole can beproduced at a low cost; units which will withstand rough usage and heavyloads; a construction which may be assembled without any tools and can-be dismantled merely by a prying action along the top frame member; onewhich possesses no sharp edges or corners and which is devoid of abruptprotrusions; one which allows for wide manufacturing tolerances in thehardware as well as the shelving; one which is attractive in itsappearance, pleasing in its design and well adapted to perform theservices required of it without any damage to exposed surfaces.

These and further desirable features characterize the structure andproduction of embodiments of the present invention and will becomeapparent from the description which follows of the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a portion of a shelving unitshowing the cabinet hardware of the present invention operativelyinstalled thereon the original shelving unit thus being expanded into acabinet-like structure;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the structure shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantiallyalong the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the horizontal planeindicated by the line 4-4 of FIG. 2 and in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the corner regionof a door fra-me employed in connection with the cabinet hardware of thepresent invention;

FIG. 6` is an enlarged section of the upper front frame portion shown inFIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a partially cut-away view taken upon line 7--7 of FIG. 6l;

FIG. 8 is a further enlarged section of a portion of the upper frontframe portion shown in FIGS. 3 and 6;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing a modification of thestructure shown therein;

FIG. 10` is a partially cut-away view taken upon line 10-10 of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a further enlarged section of .a portion of the modifiedupper front frame portion shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is a partial sectional view of a modication of the lower frameportion and gliding door support;

FIG. 13 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the lower edge of thesliding door shown in FIG. 3, and

FdG. 14 is a bottom plan view similar to FIG. 13 showing the glidermember of FIG. 12.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and in particular to FIG. 1wherein cabinet hardware embodying the invention is shown in perspectiveas adjustably mounted at any selected elevation on a shelving unit thatmay be constructed as described in said patent or application. Theshelving unit involves in its general organization a series of fourcorner posts 10, and two or more shelves 12,

The shelves 12 and corner posts 10 are rigidly secured together in theiroperative assembled relationship by means of counterpart fasteningdevices each of which may include a nut 14 (FIG. 4), and a fasteningbolt 16 as sho-wn in the patent or a tension bracket and wedge as shownin said application. The reaction member for o assimilating the thrustof the fastening means serves to clamp the corner post rigidly to theshelf 12 in a manner described presently. The various corner posts 10and shelves 12 are identical.

The shelf 12 is generally of rectangular configuration and it includes ahorizontal planar supporting or body portion having downturnedtransversely extending marginal flanges 22 (FIG. 3) and downwardly andlongitudinally extending marginal flanges 24. The transverse flanges 22are single thickness flanges and are provided with reversely .bent edges26 (FIG. 3) at their lower edges for reinforcing purposes.

The longitudinal flanges 24 are box-type flanges and, as best seen inFIG. 3, each flange preferably may include inside and outside walls 28and 30 respectively, a bottom wall 32 and a dual thickness top wall 34.The walls 28 and 30 are reinforced by spaced apart reinforcing ribs 36,while the bottom wall 32 is reinforced by a single central rib 38. Theupper edge region of the box flange 24 projects a slight distance abovethe horizontal plane of the planar body portion 20 of the shelf 12 byreason of a vertical connecting flange between the body portion and topwall 34, the flange 40 constituting a marginal restraining flange toprevent supported objects from rolling or sliding from the upper surfaceof the shelf. The four ribs 36 are inwardly rolled ribs while the rib 38in the bottom wall 32 is an outwardly rolled rib. The four corners ofthe shelf 12 are notched or cut-away as indicated at 42 (FIG. 4) forreception of selected regions of the corner posts therein in a mannerlater described.

The details of the corner posts 10 are best illustrated in FIG. 4. Eachpost is of rolled sheet metal construction, preferably of heavier gaugemetal than that of the shelf 12 and preferably comprises a main bodyportion of channel-shape cross section including side walls and 52 and aconnecting web 54. The web is provided with a series of verticallyspaced holes 56 therethrough for selective reception of the fasteningscrew 16 to the end that the shelf 12 may be secured to the post 16 atselected elevations therealong. The side wall 50 is provided with anarrow laterally turned trim flange 58. The side wall 52 is providedwith a comparatively wide re-entrant trim flange 62 `which terminates ina lateral bearing flange 64 which is preferably overformed approximately3.

The vertical corner post 10 is adapted to seat within the corner notch42 with the web 54 of the channel-shaped body portion opposing andbearing against the adjacent open end or rim of the box flange 24 asIbest seen in FIG. 4. The web 54 is formed with a central coextensiveoutwardly rolled rib 66 (FIGS. 3 and 4) which makes a seat for the webwhen the post 10 is drawn against the box flange 24.

When the corner post 10 is in its operative position within the notch 42(FIG. 4), the trim flange 58 overlies the outside face of the dependingflange 22 to secure an end panel in place. Similarly, the trim flange 62overlies the outside wall 30 of the box flange 24 and the ybearingflange `64 opposes this wall in close proximity thereto.

In order to fasten the corner post 10 securely to the shelf 12 withinthe notch 42 by the previously mentioned fastening devices, the tensionmeans projects through and is anchored in a pair of transverselyregistering slots and 72 (FLIG. 3) formed in opposing walls, either theoutside and inside walls 30 and 28 respectively or the top and bottomlwalls 32 and 34, and is designed to pass through one of the holes 56 inthe channel web 54 where it enters the open rim or end of the box flange24 endwise as shown in FIG. 4 for securement as described in said patentor application.

In assembling the corner post 10 upon the shelf 12, the tension member14 will first be operatively installed in the box flange 24 either atthe factory or .by the purchaser.

The proper hold S6 in the corner post 10 is then selected for thedesired shelf elevation and the fastening member is inserted in placeand tightened. Tightening of the fastening screw member of the cornerpost into register and engagement with both the dual thickness top wall34 of the box flange 24 and the rib 38 in the bottom wall thereof willbring the trim flanges S8` and 62 (FIG. 4) to their overlyingrelationship with respect to the `flanges 22 and 24 as previouslydescribed.

Rigidity of the shelving against rocking movement in a longitudinaldirection is, of course, inhibited by the extreme rigidity of the box-flange 24 when under an onedge compression.

It is also to be noted that the vertical extent 0f the slots 70 and 72is substantially equal to the distance between the center lines of thetwo horizontally extending ribs 36 on the walls 30 and 28 so that theopposite ends of the slots lie next to the ribs. Thus, when lateralpulling force is applied by the fastening device 16, the reaction forceoffered by a portion of each of four ribs 36 prevents peeling or tearingof the sheet metal of the box flange 24 at the corners of the slots 70and 72.

FIGS. 3 to 14 inclusive, illustrate the cabinet hardware by means ofwhich the primary shelving just described may be expanded quite easilyinto a cabinettype structure by closures for the normally open sidesthereof. Particularly referring to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, closure means areprovided whereby a door frame 18 may be applied to the front of anygiven shelving unit and supported on the upper edge of flange 40 on thelower shelf and the lower or bottom wall or edge 32 of a flange 40 onthe uppeu shelf of the selected pair of vertically spaced shelves 12,respectively. A pair of sliding door panels 44 and 46 are utilized toform a closure for the normally open front of the shelving. Ordinarily,the door frame 18 will be of such height and the installation thereofmade so that the frame bridges the distance between the verticalmidpoint of the uppermost shelf flange 24 and the vertical midpoint ofthe lowermost shelf in the series of shelves to be enclosed. However, byselection of the proper door frame height, any two shelves 12, includingadjacent shelves, if desired, may be thus bridged by the door panels 40and 46. For example, if a given shelving unit contains four superposedshelves 12 (FIG. 2), and the door frame extends between the uppermostand the lowermost shelves of these four, the completed cabinet willenclose two intermediate shelves within the same. The presence orabsence of intermediate shelves is a matter of choice and does notaffect the nature of the installation.

The cabinet hardware further includes a pair of steel retaining S-shapedopposing channels or rails 48 (FIG. 3) for a back panel closure 68. Theend panel closures 60 are held by the trim flange 58 (FIG. 4) forclosing the openings at the normally open ends of the shelving, it beingnoted that the panels 60 are receivable in the shelving structurewithout the use of additional retaining hardware.

Referring now to FIGS. l to 5, inclusive, the front panel closureincludes the door frame 18 comprising a single compound rolled steelchannel member with the` side walls mitered and the bottom wall bent atthe corner to form horizontally disposed upper and lower frame sections74 and 76 and vertically disposed side frame sections 78 and 80. Thecross sectional form frame sections are identical in form and thereforea description of one of them will suffice for the others except theupper frame section has shear formed detents in one wall as laterdescribed. In the bending the ends of opposing pairs are in effectreversed so that all open towards one another, viz, the lower section 76being turned 180 end for end with respect to the upper section 74 andlikewise the side sections.

As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, the upper and lower horizontal door framesections 74 and 76 are substantially coextensive in length with thewidth or expanse of the shelves exposed between the posts. The verticalchannel sections rest against the bearing flanges 64 of the posts 10.The cross sectional contour of the channel sections is generally ofG-shaped channel configuration and includes an outwardly flat inside leg82 which lies ush against the shelf flange wall 30, an outside leg 814having an inturned linishing edge 86 and a connecting bight portion 88.The bight portion 88 constitutes to top wall of the downwardly facingframe section 74 and the bottom wall of the upwardly opening cradle-likeframe section 76, respectively.

Thus, the channel sections provide opposing guideway supports for thesliding doors 44 and 46, as later described, together with certain guiderail and cushioning structure whereby the two door panels are maintainedin their respective offset planes of horizontal sliding movement.However, only the upper channel section 74 has inwardly olfset shearforms providing detents 92 as seen in FIGS. 8 and 11 with the shoulderportion 94 thereof facing upwardly.

The horizontal channel sections 74 and 76 are held in place on the shelfflanges by channel strips 94 and 96, respectively, roll-formed into twodilferent shapes which serve many functions including securing the doorframe in place, and providing a slide and guide support for the doors.

As noted in FIGS. 6-10, the upper channel member 75 has a hookportion-8S received over the lower part 38 of the upper shelf flangewith an over form on the one side wall 87 thereof and with its inneredge 89 marginally ared outwardly to cam it into place. In cooperationwith an opposing wall 91 the side wall 87 clamps the inner wall 82 ofthe upper frame 74 against the front face 30 of the shelf flange 24. Theopposing wall 91 has either an inwardly concave groove 93 (FIGS. `6 and7) or a slot 95 (FIGS. 9 and 10) formed longitudinally therein toreceive the shear form detents `92 in nesting interlocking relation whensnapped into place.

The other side of the opposing wall 91 slidably engages in guidingrelation the inner face of the inner door 44. Along the upper edge theopposing wall is bent outwardly at 97 and downwardly at 99 to form athird wall 98 whose lower end -is reversely bent upwardly at 105 toprovide a fourth wall 100 slidably engaging the outer side of the innerdoor, there being enough clearance above the door for it to be lifted asubstantial distance for insertion when it is installed. The spacing ofthe third and fourth wall serves as a divider between the doors and theouter door 46 is slidably guided against the outerface of the third wall98 within the inturned edge 86 of the upper channel member 74.

The upper guide channel is linger-snapped into place and can be removedby hooking the edge of the fourth wall 100 or prying it downwardly usingthe bottom of the hook form 85 as a fulcrum when it is desired todismantle the door frame and relocate it at a different height on twoother shelves.

In FIGS. 3 and 5 the lower guide channel 73 is shown formed with adownwardly facing hook portion 67 along one edge which hooks over thefront upstanding top wall 34 of the front box ange 24 of the lower shelfin weight supported relation, and supported thereon along the other edgeportion, an upwardly facing double cradle portion. The double cradleportion 68 has a lower inner channelway 77, through the bottom of whichthe two channels 76 and 77 are riveted together by rivets 79 as anintegrated unit with a spacer 81 between the two bottoms. The outerchannelway 71 terminates in an upward directed side Wall 83 that isspaced inwardly from the edge 86 and the channelways are separated byrounded top divider 90. The cradle portion supports the bottom edges ofthe doors slidably in weight supported laterally guided relationship inan orientation that is out of contact with the inwardly directed edge 86of the lower main channel section 76.

It will be observed that buttons 101, having rounded tops 102, aremounted top down at spaced points on the bottom edges of the doors. Theymay be shaped like upholsterers tacks, or cylindrical shanked rivets,but are preferably made of nylon or other amorphous plastic having a lowfrictional coelicient with metal. More particularly, the heads may berectangular but are preferably round, and have an effective dimensiontransversely of the door that is substantially greater than thethickness of the door but not quite the Width of the guideways.Moreover, if desired they can be employed at the top of the doors also,so that if desired, the doors can be invested, or installed witlh eitheredge uppermost. The enjoined ends of the folded frame member 18 aresecured at the abutting ends of chanel sections 78 and l80 as shown inFIG. 5 in which the side walls are mitered at 107 and a tongue portion104 extending from the bottom wall portion 88 of t-he frame section 78terminally overlaps the bottom wall portion 88 of the lower framesection 76. They are perforated at 106 in registry where they overlap torecieve and be secured together by rivets (not shown) with the tonguelaterally squaring against the side walls of the frame section 78.

Accordingly, although one form of the corner post has been described,and its support of the shelves has been set forth it will be appreciatedthat the cabinet hardware can be employed with shelving having any ofthe novel shapes shown in said copending applications.

Furthermore, since the upper and lower frame channel sections cover onlyhalf of the front flanges 30 of the 'upper and lower shelves, thecabinet hardware lends itself readily to multiple installation onsuperposed shelf units as shown in FIG. 3 where the lower half of thedownwardly projecting portion of the box flange 2J4 is available forreception thereunder of the hook portion of a lower door frame assemblylike the assembly described, the shelves being spaced to accommodate thedouble height cabinet. Furthermore, it will be observed that theupwardly projecting portion of the upper box flange 24 is available forreception thereover of a hook portion 67 of a third door frame assemblywhich may be installed immediately above the illustrated door frameassembly wit-hout interference with the latter.

The invention is not to be limited to the exact arrangement of partsshown in the accompanying ldrawings or described in this specificationas various changes in the details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, whereasno cross bracing for the shelving has been illustrated herein and noneis considered necessary, such can be used if desired by the customer aswhere the height of the shelving with one unit on another is deemed torequire it. Additionally, while the terms longitudinal and transverse inthe above description refer to the long and short dimensionsrespectively of the shelf 12, obviously the box flange 24 may extendmarginally along the short dimension ofthe shelf if desired.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a steel shelving unit having corner posts andvertically spaced shelves supported by the posts at their corners withreinforcement flanges along their front edges and extending below thetop of the upper shelf and above the top of the lower shelf to define arectangular front access opening communicating with the space betweenthe shelves, a rectangular door frame resting against the front faces ofthe shelf flanges comprising:

channel frame sections opening towards each other with the lateral outerextremities of their inner channel walls substantially coextensive withthe respective shelf flange ends,

first channel means encompassing the lower edge of the upper shelfflange and the inner wall of the upper member releasably holding themlaterally against each other under compression,

second channel means engaging the upper edge of the lower shelf ange insupported relation and secured to the lower channel frame section tosupport the door :frame in weight bearing relation on t-he lower shelfange,

and door guide means carried by said first and second channel meansdefining within said upper and lower frame members horizontally spacedtracks for receiving sliding doors in overlapping guided relationship.

2. The combination called for in claim 1 including detent means formedon the inner wall of the upper one of said frame sections, and detentinterlocking means on said first channel means engaging said -detentmeans to secure the first channel means in place on the Iupper framesection and the flange of said upper shelf.

3. In combination with a steel shelving unit having corner posts andvertically spaced shelves supported by the posts at their corners withreinforcement flan-ges along their front edges and extending below thetop of the upper shelf and above the top of the lower shelf to define arectangular front access opening communicating with the space betweenthe shelves,

a rectangular door frame resting against the front faces of the shelfflanges comprising:

channel frame sections opening towards each other ydefining outer andinner walls with the lateral outer extremities of their inner channelwalls substantially coextensive with the distance between said cornerposts,

a channel strip` defining a downwardly facing hook portion engaging thetop of the lower shelf flange in weight supported relation,

an upwardly facing double channel portion within said channel frameportion whose outer channel is marginally bounded by an upwardlydirected side wall spaced inwardly from the outer wall of said channelframe portion, and

means for holding the inner wall of said yframe sections against thefront faces of said flanges.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 including vertical doors slidablymounted in said double channel portion, and plastic elements carried bythe lower edges of said doors of a fwidth and position with respect tothe thickness of the doors engage in sliding relationship the bottomwall of its channel portion and at least one side wall thereof in guidedrelationship.

5. In combination with a steel shelving unit having corner posts andvertically spaced shelves supported by the posts at their corners withreinforcement flanges along their front edges and extending below thetop of the upper shelf and above the top of the lower shelf to define arectangular front access opening communicating with the space betweenthe shelves, a rectangular door frame resting against the front faces ofthe shelf flanges comprising:

channel frame sections opening towards each other delining outer andinner walls with their inner channel walls resting against the frontfaces of said flanges, the upper frame section having detent means onits inner channel wall,

a channel strip having a hook portion received over the lower part ofthe upper shelf flange -with an overform on the inner side wall to urgesaid channel frame section into contact with the said shelf flange,

the other side of said hook portion including means engaging said detentto lock said channel strip in place,

means for supporting the door Iframe on the top of the lower shelfflange in weight bearing relation.

6. The combination called for in claim 5 in which said channel stripincludes a downwardly bent wall lwhose lower edge is reversely bentupwardly in spaced relation defining a door guideway in front of saidother side of said hook form and another guideway behind said outer wallof said upper frame section.

7. The combination called for in claim 5 in which the last mentionedmeans includes: v

a channel strip defining a downwardly facing hook portion engaging thetop of the lower shelf flange in weight supported relation,

an upwardly facing double channel portion within said channel frameportion defining two guideways whose outer channel is marginally bounded-by an upwardly directed side wall spaced inwardly from the outer wallof said channel frame portion, and

doors slidably mounted in said guideways in overlapping relationship.

8. The combination called for in claim 2 in which said detent is a shearform providing an upwardly facing shoulder, and said interlocking meansis a downwardly facing shoulder formed in said first channel meansengaging said shear form shoulder.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,762,675 9/1956 Janows 312-295 X2,867,859 1/1959 Brink et al. 2,877,511 3/195'9 Viola. 3,230,025 1/1966Hamilton et al 312-295 3,265,455 8/1966 Ferdinand et al, 312-2953,307,895 3/1967 Renner 312-295 I AMES T. MCCALL, Primary Examiner.

U.S. C1. X.R.

